As a small business owner, you know how rewarding it is to receive positive feedback from your customers. On social media, encouragement from followers and fans can boost your confidence and motivation to keep growing.
But have you thought about how you can return the favor and show them some love, too?
When building relationships on social media, it’s often small gestures, not large-scale campaigns, that have the most impact on how fans view your business. Followers who see how much they’re appreciated turn into customers, and customers who feel truly valued become loyal to your business!
Let’s take a look at a few easy — but impactful! — social media content ideas that give your fans and followers some much-deserved love.
1. Mention them
After getting home from a yoga class one night, my girlfriend Ashley received a notification on her phone. Her yoga teacher had mentioned her — and a few other people in the class — on the business’s Facebook page to congratulate them on a great class.
What may seem like a simple gesture from the studio ended up being a WOW! moment for Ashley, who is still one of the studio’s biggest fans.
Look for similar opportunities when interacting with your followers online and in person. If you have a great conversation with a loyal customer or meet someone new at a local event, use social media to follow up and keep the conversation going.
2. Share their stuff
You want people to share your content so that you can reach a wider audience and introduce new people to your business. But have you ever thought about sharing other people’s work in return?
At Constant Contact, we love spotlighting our clients and showing off their incredible work! Congratulating them on their accomplishments with dedicated posts and sharing their content via Instagram Stories helps us celebrate them every day.
Keep an eye out for customer appreciation opportunities on all of your social media platforms. Whether you share their Facebook post to your business’ feed, link to an article they’re featured in on LinkedIn, or repost their Instagram Reel to your Stories, they’ll feel your support and share the love right back.
3. Feature them
Your social media presence says a lot about your business. Let new followers know that you put your customers first by featuring them on your page!
If you sell a product, sharing customer-submitted content to your social media pages leaves a lasting impression. Check out this awesome video from Boston-based chef, Madhrasi Chai:
A customer, Kathy Weller, shared this video showcasing how she makes her daily coffee with Madhrasi Chai’s spice mix, and Madhrasi reposted it to her Instagram feed as a collaborative post. This is a great way to thank Kathy for her support, show her how much she’s valued as a customer, and encourage other followers to do the same!
4. Work together
If you’re a fan of Constant Contact on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, you know asking our customers for feedback is one of our top priorities. We’re lucky to learn from our community every day, and want to give our fans and followers the chance to show off their expertise and help us help them.
To ensure we’re creating the best, most impactful tools for small business owners, we regularly invite our customers to our headquarters to learn about their experience with Constant Contact. We use their feedback to develop new features and improve existing ones.
As a small business, you can work even more closely with your audience. Brainstorm some social media content ideas that get your audience involved with your team. Find ways to collaborate and build genuine relationships, like feedback sessions, local events, and volunteer opportunities.
5. Thank them
Creating an online audience and brainstorming innovative social media content ideas is hard work. Whether you’re running your business solo or have a tiny-but-mighty team by your side, building your social media pages from the ground up takes dedication, creativity, and a whole lot of perseverance.
But on the other side of that is an audience of loyal fans who support your business and look forward to seeing your updates every day!
Let them know how much you appreciate them with regular thank you messages. You could thank your whole audience or highlight a few patrons who have made an impact on you and your business, like Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge did here:
6. Be available
One of the easiest ways to let your fans and followers know that you appreciate them is to be available when they really need you. When you show up for your customers on social media each day, they’ll know they can depend on you for support when they need it.
More and more people are turning to social media to connect with businesses and get their questions answered. According to the 2022 Sprout Social Index, 35% of U.S. consumers use Instagram for customer service, and 60% of U.S. consumers use Facebook for customer support.
Set aside time every day to monitor your social media mentions and comments and respond to any feedback you receive. Enabling social media app notifications on your mobile devices will allow you to respond to customers as quickly as possible.
7. Reward them
Take customer appreciation to the next level with special offers! Show your customers that you’re as dedicated to them as they are to you with an exclusive discount, freebies with each order, or a giveaway.
For example, Element Oasis shared a behind-the-scenes look into how their newest product is made and hosted a giveaway in the comments.
You could post a thank you message to one of your social media profiles and tell your followers to mention the post the next time they visit your store for a bonus discount. Or, you could add free samples of upcoming products to orders for a limited time. Show customers you care and that you value their loyalty.
Ready to show your audience some love?
Small gestures have big impacts, especially online. These social media content ideas show your audience that they’re your priority, whether they just became a fan or have been a dedicated customer since your first launch.
Want more social media content ideas that show some love to your customers? Check out the Constant Contact Community for bonus customer appreciation ideas and join the conversation!
